More Than Half A Million COVID Tests Conducted In Mass.

May 22, 2020

BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — With more than 10,000 additional coronavirus tests reported on Friday, Massachusetts testing facilities have now conducted more than 511,000 coronavirus tests in just over two months.

According to the state Department of Public Health, nearly 91,000 of those tests have been positive for the virus so far, and more than 6,200 people have died of COVID-19 in Massachusetts since March.

There are six health metrics that must show progress before and during the state gradually reopens its economy. So far, two of those metrics are showing a positive trend; the state's COVID-19 positive test rate, and the state's testing capacity.

In fact, on Friday the DPH reported the state's lowest single-day rate of positive tests, with three percent of tests coming back positive for the virus.

On Friday, Baker said his administration will continue to ramp up the state's coronavirus testing capacity, with a goal of expanding the current rate of around 10,000 tests per day to 75,000 tests per day by the end of the year.